Home sweet home win for Cape Breton Screaming Eagles

Peyton Hoyt if the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, left, and Jakob Pelletier of the Moncton Wildcats jostle for position during QMJHL action Wednesday at Centre 200. - T.J. Colello

Jessiman backstops Screaming Eagles in 4-2 win over Wildcats

SYDNEY, N.S. — The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles jumped out to an early lead and goaltender Kyle Jessiman took care of the rest in a 4-2 win over the Moncton Wildcats in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League play Wednesday at Centre 200.

Goals from Peyton Hoyt and Jordan Ty Fournier in the opening stanza put the home team into the driver’s seat. And despite some penalty trouble for the host side, it was some solid shot-blocking and big saves by Jessiman that kept the visiting Wildcats from completing the comeback.

Some of Jessiman’s best work came at the end of the first period as he battled to keep the puck out with the Wildcats pressuring on a 5-on-3 advantage. He also denied Jeremy McKenna with the right pad on a one-timer early in the third period.

He finished with 28 stops and improved to 17-14-4-1 on the season. Jessiman even tried to score in the dying seconds, but sailed a shot just wide of the empty cage.

“I made the saves, that’s my job and that’s what I have to do,” said the 19-year-old netminder, who was named the game’s first star. “But the boys in front of me on the PK were unbelievable and I can’t thank them enough.”

Mathias Laferrière rifled home what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period with a laser beam from the top of the circle. Isiah Campbell chipped in an insurance tally in the third.

For Moncton, Jack Turner with a power-play marker of his own in the second period and James Phelan short-handed in the third provided their offence. Wildcats netminder Mark Grametbauer stopped 17 shots in a losing cause.

Cape Breton finished 1-for-6 with the man-advantage and killed off six out of seven Moncton power plays in the game. That effort including some big blocked shots, with players like captain Phélix Martineau and Declan Smith paying the price.

“That was our seventh game in 13 days and in the last 13 days we’ve had one practice and it was on the road,” said Screaming Eagles head coach and general manager Marc-André Dumont. “We lacked execution which led to a lot of penalties. I think the referees did a great job calling the game tonight. I think everything they called was right and we were able to get some key blocked shots and some key saves from (Jessiman). That gave us good momentum scoring the fourth goal right after they just finished a power play. That for me as an important goal.”

The Screaming Eagles (29-27-6-1) continue their homestand with back-to-back games against the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday and Saturday at Centre 200. Puck drop for both tilts is 7 p.m.